A novel two-dimensional non-contact platform based on near-field acoustic levitation

Abstract

Near-field Acoustic Levitation (NFAL) is an advanced non-contact handling method with promising applications in the field of manufacturing semiconductors and Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems. This study presents a novel two-dimensional non-contact platform based on NFAL, constructed by two independent bumped and holed rails. The bumped rail is cross-placed under the holed rail, and the bumps are passed through the holes to ensure two rails being nested and combined. The effective region of the platform is consisted of bumped and non-holed regions simultaneously. So, the distribution of the bumps and holes can be designed to optimize the performance of two-dimensional transportation. Two rails can be vibrated independently to realize one-dimensional transportation and simultaneously to realize two-dimensional transportation. The governing equation of squeeze film, considering the amplitude distribution of the rails, is established to analyze the performances. An experimental test-bed is constructed to test the levitation and transportation performance to verify the numerical study. Both numerical and experimental results prove that the platform based on NFAL is a feasible and easy method to realize non-contact two-dimensional transportation.